


I'd Give Up Everything Just Ask Me To

by Rearviewdreamer



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas fic, Gift of the Magi, Gift of the Magi AU, M/M, Musician Harry, POV switch, Student Louis, holiday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 00:31:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8945449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rearviewdreamer/pseuds/Rearviewdreamer
Summary: They don't usually exchange Christmas gifts, but this year is different. This year, Louis knows exactly what he wants to put under the tree to make his boyfriend smile. He just doesn't know how he's going to get it.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PiinkLemonade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PiinkLemonade/gifts).



_“Life is full of sniffles, sobs, and smiles. With sniffles predominating.”_   
_― O. Henry, The Gift of the Magi_

 

Harry tugs on his coat and pulls a wool beanie over his head as he runs out of the bedroom in search of his other glove. The one that he kind of needs unless he’s okay with losing his fingers to frostbite.

 

His eyes scan over every visible inch of the flat, which doesn’t take very long from how tiny it is. Harry sighs in defeat when he comes up empty. And _fuck_. He should’ve left five minutes ago.

 

He’s resigned to his fate of being frozen alive on the way to his gig when a distracted voice floats to him from the sofa in the middle of the room.

 

“Looking for this?”

 

His boyfriend is tucked up with the thickest blanket they own with one of his favorite books in his lap. Eventually, he’s able to tear his gaze away from the words that he’s probably read a hundred times by now in order to hold up Harry’s missing glove.

 

“It was stuck between the cushions,” he chuckles, his nose a rosy pink even with all the layers he’s cocooned himself in. Harry crosses the room to thank his boyfriend with a kiss. His eyebrows knit together, noticing how cold Louis’ lips feel.

 

“I’m going to go talk to our landlord again on my way out. This is getting ridiculous.”

 

Harry glares over at their drafty window where the seal is barely even attached at the bottom anymore. They requested for it to be repaired and they were assured it’d be done as soon as possible. Two weeks and one nasty cold later that confined Louis to bed for a whole weekend, and the stupid window still hasn’t been fixed.

 

“I called yesterday,” Louis shrugs. “He promised he was sending someone this week. I had to be kind of rude about it.”

 

Harry grins at his boyfriend who has a lot of bite when necessary, but his size usually sends the message that he’s more of a lover than a fighter. Harry is nearly a whole head taller than Louis. His size along with the countless tattoos etched into his skin usually sends the message that he’s not to be fucked with.

 

“I’m still going down there,” Harry repeats, determined for them to get results one way or another.

 

“Alright tough guy. You go handle it then.” Louis pokes the dimple that appears in his left cheek, making Harry blush and probably look about as intimidating as a baby deer. He kisses Louis again, trying his best to ignore the fact that Louis’ skin feels several degrees cooler than it should. “You should’ve left ten minutes ago,” Louis mumbles against his lips, echoing what Harry’s mind has already been screaming at him.

 

“I know. I’m going. I’m leaving right now, but I had to find my glove. It’s cold out. Safety first.”

 

“I should’ve kept it and presented it to you at your show tonight,” he teases. “It would’ve been very Cinderella-like.”

 

Harry snorts a laugh, but then forces his face into something more serious once his brain registers what he said. “Lou, I told you I don’t want you getting sick again. You don’t have to come.” He meets Louis’ eyes with a stern yet imploring gaze hoping this time he’ll listen. Louis’ expression softens as he stares at him. He grins, all warm and appreciative for Harry’s concern when all of sudden Harry’s vision goes black from Louis tugging his beanie down to his nose.

 

His boyfriend’s eyes are filled with love and mirth when Harry slides his hat back into place on his head. “For the last time, I am coming to your show. I’m going to drag Niall with me, I’m going to stand at the very front like always, and I’m going to scream louder than everybody else whether you like it or not, rockstar. Deal with it.”

 

Harry should’ve seen that coming. Getting Louis to do anything besides exactly what he wants to do has always been a lost cause. He just started feeling better a few days ago, and still he’d probably stand in the middle of a blizzard if it meant supporting Harry at his dream. Actually, Harry has no doubt that he would do that.

 

“Fine. I’ll see you tonight then.” Harry rolls his eyes, knowing he’s not about to win this battle any more than Louis’ about to let him.

 

He stands to head for the door but not before grabbing his guitar where it’s propped against the wall next to his and Louis’ Christmas tree which looks more like a piece of shrubbery from how small it is, but it’s beautifully decorated and brings joy to even the darkest corners of their flat.

 

The guitar is an old Taylor. A beautiful acoustic that he bought at an auction when he was eighteen. It cost more than he could afford back then. Hell, it cost more than he can afford even now at twenty-three, but he worked his arse off for two years including summers to get it.

 

“How far away is it again?” Louis asks, rising to his knees to watch Harry place his most prized possession in its flimsy excuse for a case. After paying for the instrument itself, the aged-leather hard case to protect it wasn’t exactly in his budget.

 

“Just ten blocks or so past the park. Shouldn’t take me too long. I can always get a cab if I need to.” He doesn’t need to. It’s been snowing so much lately that walking even just a few minutes down the street is a nightmare, but he can’t justify opening his wallet every time he needs to make it to a gig or a rehearsal on time when Louis walks to his classes every day for free. It’s an unnecessary expense that they honestly can’t afford, so Harry’s just going to have to get better at planning ahead so he can leave earlier.

 

“Okay. I guess that’s not so bad,” Louis sighs, watching him work his thick-gloved fingers through the handle of the case that started falling apart months ago and hasn’t stopped. “Promise me you’ll be careful?”

 

“Promise. But only if you promise to do the same since you _insist_ on coming tonight even though you know I love you so much that even the thought of seeing you ill hurts my heart.”

 

His boyfriend doesn’t bat an eye, though his lips do quirk up a bit at the corners. “That was a valiant attempt, but I’m still coming. Now, get out before you’re so late that they kick you out of the band.”

 

Harry rolls his eyes, reaching for the door handle. “They can’t kick me out. I’m the lead on vocals and guitar. I also have writing credits on _all_ of our music,” he proudly points out.

 

“No one likes a showoff. Get out.” Harry catches the quick “Love you!” that his boyfriend shouts just as the door shuts.

 

“Love you too!” Harry shouts back, already flying down the six flights of stairs that spiral down to the ground floor.

 

Harry is just about to step outside to begin his trek through the cold when he remembers his promise to Louis to stop by their landlord’s about the window.

 

He quickly knocks a gloved fist against the door and then presses his ear to it listening for any signs of life, or more aptly, signs of their landlord actively pretending to not be home as usual.

 

He and Louis have been dealing with shit like this for over a year. Their flat is a dump and it just keeps getting worse because the person who’s supposed to manage upkeep and repairs doesn’t like to do his fucking job. The saying, ‘you get what you pay for’ has never been more true.

 

They should move. Even just thinking it makes Harry feel better, but he knows it’s not possible. Not with his band’s spotty gig schedule that doesn’t pay even half of what he truly needs and Louis’ part-time campus job that pays even less. A better place to live is something they both want, but so are their dreams. Louis’ closer to success than he is at the moment. He’ll be done with school in just another year, but with their lives and careers in such limbo at the moment, a new flat is going to have to wait.

 

No one answers the door. Figures. Harry didn’t really expect anybody to, but he was hoping. He’ll come back later.

 

The cold greets him when he pushes through the thin door that leads to the street and starts in the direction of the pub he was supposed to have been at twenty minutes ago. He only makes it about a quarter of the way before he raises a guilty hand in the air to wave down the taxi approaching up ahead.

 

It’s just for today since he’s so late, he promises himself. Harry climbs into the back of the cab, extremely mindful of the way he maneuvers his guitar into the back seat with him. At least now he won’t have to carry it the whole way. Though looking at the new rip in the seam of the handle, it may not have made the trip anyway.

 

********

 

Louis tucks himself back into the corner of the sofa, comfortably wedging his toes between the cushions like before when he found Harry’s glove by accident. Thank god he had. Otherwise he would’ve been left trying to squeeze his giant hands into Louis’ gloves, or worse, going without gloves at all.

 

He grabs his book and places in back in his lap once he’s settled and warm again. His eyes flick over to their broken window like it’s going to be magically fixed this time even though he knows it’s not.

 

Heat is pumping through the building, but even so, their flat is so much colder than everyone else’s because of the draft. He hopes it gets fixed soon. If not, he’s going to wind up sick again like his boyfriend fears or Harry’s going to end up in a jail cell for beating the shit out of their landlord like Louis fears.

 

He grins to himself as he opens his book back to the page he was reading before Harry kissed him and made him forget what the hell he was doing. He does that all the time; flusters Louis with his mouth and his hands until he can’t focus on anything or anyone besides him. Harry doesn’t bother him much when he’s working on important things like assignments for class, but on days like today when Louis’ doing nothing but rereading a book that he’s already been through a thousand times, he doesn’t stand a chance against his boyfriend and his buckets of charm.

 

Louis flips the book over in his lap to run his fingers down the aged-leather of its spine. The title and accent designs are engraved with golden ink laid into its depressions. He picks it up and breathes in its old pages, the scent just as refreshing as the others in the collection which sit on the rickety little shelf that Louis loves more than any other piece of furniture in their flat.

 

These books have been with him since he was a teenager spending way too much time tracking them down and more money than he could really spare to purchase them from their previous owners.

 

They’re all classics and each of them is unique with gilded pages and a silk ribbon that serves as a place holder. He’s spent more money on these books than he has on his entire wardrobe, but he loves them and they’re important to him. He hopes to be a writer one day just like the ones whose names are printed on the cover of his books. He works hard in his classes and when he closes his eyes, he can almost imagine his name printed in proud golden ink as well.

 

It’s his dream, but the little grin he’s wearing fades a bit when he starts mentally calculating how much his most prized possessions cost. He didn’t buy them all at once; he couldn’t afford it. He’s been steadily collecting them over the years and the sad thing is that he still doesn’t even have them all. He’s actually missing two, but completing the set right now is absolutely out of the question. He and Harry are barely scraping enough together each month as it is. He can’t spend what little extra money they do have on something that can always wait until after he graduates and finds a better paying job.

 

Right now, they need a new place to live. The cold wind slipping into their flat each night, the paper-thin walls, and their poor excuse for a landlord are hardships that they’re only willing to put up with for so long. There are so many things that they want to accomplish together. Louis has no doubt that they can do it. They’ve just got to put in the work. If they make the right sacrifices now they’ll pay off later, but until that day comes Louis has more urgent things to worry about. Like what the hell their Christmas is going to look like this year when he and Harry don’t even have a budget for cab fare.

 

Louis’ eyes fall on the little tree that he and Harry bought and dragged home a couple of weeks ago. There isn’t a single present underneath it yet, but Louis still grins to himself thinking about how much fun he and Harry had while they decorated it.

 

The two of them don’t necessarily _need_ expensive gifts to make Christmas special. This time of year is Louis’ favorite simply because they’re together and they love each other, but placing something great under their tree to make Harry smile would feel so amazing.

 

They didn’t exchange gifts last year. Louis had just started his job on campus and they had just moved in together a few months before. They can’t afford expensive gifts now any more than they could back then, but Louis still wants to try to get his boyfriend something. He deserves it. Louis’ also flat broke so if he’s going to come up with a good gift then he better start thinking now and hard. Christmas is less than two weeks away.

 

As promised, Louis shows up at Harry’s show later that night with Niall dragging along behind him. They stop by the bar first so Niall can get a drink. He graciously supplies Louis with one too like always, knowing he won’t want to spend the money himself.

 

The band is just starting their set with Harry’s vocals and the rest of band filling the room around them. Beside him and Niall, Louis overhears a loud conversation from a couple of girls also waiting for their drinks. They’re talking about Harry and how amazing he is; gushing really, but Louis just smiles. He used to be just like them. Actually, he was way worse. He came to a place like this with Niall one night to hear a band he’d never even heard of. He saw Harry light up that stage and he’d thought the same thing as these girls; that he was incredible and that anyone would be lucky to have him; lucky to even be noticed by someone so beautiful and talented. Three years later Louis still can’t believe he ended up being that lucky person.

 

He grabs Niall by the arm as soon as they have their drinks and starts weaving his way through the crowd. Most fans shoot him looks of annoyance when they feel him trying to squeeze by, but they move once they realize who he is and allow him up front.

 

Once there, he sings louder than everyone else and when Harry finally scans the crowd and notices him standing there, Louis doesn’t have to pretend like he’s singing directly to him like the rest of crowd. He knows without a doubt that he is.

 

Louis loves their lives together even as tough as it is right now. But they’ve got each other and that’s all that matters. Harry is the best person in his life and Louis just wants to show him how important he is. Christmas is right around the corner and he knows that’s his chance.

 

*********

 

Harry hugs his bandmates goodbye at the end of the night, still coming down off the high of playing such a great set. This crowd was so much bigger than the one they played to at this same venue a few months ago. It was even bigger than the crowd they played to a few weeks ago. They’re picking up quite the fan base and there are even talks of some labels beginning to take notice.

 

Getting signed was nothing more than a pipe dream a few years ago, but now it doesn’t seem so unattainable. If they keep at it like this for just a bit longer, maybe things will finally start turning in their favor.

 

He scans the closing venue for his boyfriend once he’s grabbed his guitar in the case that his bandmate Zayn helped him patch up during rehearsal. Louis had been the loudest person in the room while they were playing earlier and nothing has changed now that the show is over, spotting him laughing with Niall and one of the bartenders that they’ve obviously befriended.

 

Louis turns when he feels Harry’s eyes on his back. He abandons their conversation completely to pull Harry into a congratulatory kiss so enthusiastic that Harry has to work to keep his balance. “You were _amazing_! Everyone sounded so good! You sounded the best obviously,” he mutters, “But, I’m so proud of you, Haz. You were great. Did I already say you were amazing? Because you were.”

 

Harry can’t stop blushing. He never can with Louis stroking his ego and making his chest balloon with confidence. “Thanks, love.” He’s only speaking to Louis in this moment, but everyone who is left at the bar smiles and watches on like they’re the two most interesting people in the world. They definitely are not, but people have always looked at them like their love is special. Maybe it is.

 

He throws an arm around Louis’ shoulders to pull him close once they leave. The bartender that Niall became such fast friends with turned out to have a pretty smile and a pair of lips that Niall couldn’t stop staring at so he decided to stay back with her. Now, it’s just him and Louis making their way over the frozen concrete beneath their feet.

 

Christmas lights illuminate their path along with the streetlamps overhead making Harry grin to himself from how pretty it is. He has always loved this time of year. The band had been discussing the joys of Christmas shopping for their significant others today during their rehearsal break. Harry hadn’t joined in of course because he and Louis usually don’t exchange gifts. Their money is better spent elsewhere, but listening to how excited everyone is to make their loved ones smile on Christmas day made Harry want the same thing.

 

He’d love to get Louis a gift; an amazing one that he’d love, but gestures like that take cash and that’s not something they currently have a lot of. He’d still like to get him something though. Maybe a good idea will come to him in the next few days. Something that’ll light up Louis’ face when he sees it sitting beneath their tree.

 

He feels Louis shiver against him when the wind picks up so he tucks him even further into his side. Having Louis at the show tonight was as much of an adrenaline rush as being up on stage, but even so, he would’ve preferred his boyfriend to stay home and out of the cold.

 

“You’re freezing,” Harry says, trying his best to hold his guitar in one hand and shield Louis from the breeze.

 

“I’m alright,” Louis insists on the end of a sniffle that he tries to pass off as a laugh. “You worry too much.”

 

“I worry about you.”

 

Louis nuzzles his cold cheek into Harry’s side. “I know.”

 

They’re almost half-way home, but that doesn’t stop Harry from raising a gloved hand in the air to wave down one of the taxis zooming by.

 

“We’re almost home, love. Don’t,” Louis tries, but Harry ignores him, flagging down the cab nearest them anyway.

 

Louis sighs dramatically and fondly rolls his eyes as Harry holds open the door for him. “You spoil me,” he deadpans.

 

“In you get,” he orders. Harry waits as his boyfriend slides in and then he stuffs himself inside along with his guitar. “Warm?” Harry smiles once he tells the driver their address.

 

“Toasty,” Louis giggles. He kisses Harry under the blur of the passing streetlamps when they pull off towards their flat. “Thank you,” he whispers.

 

Harry tucks him back under his arm, loving the way their gloved hands slot together in his lap. The two of them don’t have a lot right now. Technically, they can’t even afford this cab ride, but they love each other and Harry would do anything in the world for Louis, so really, they have it all.

 

_“Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling—something”_   
_― O. Henry, The Gift of the Magi_

 

Louis fidgets where he’s standing outside of the rare books shop just three days before Christmas.

 

All week he’s been tossing around ideas of things that could make a good gift for Harry. Things he might want, but Louis can’t commit to buying any of them. One because they’re too expensive, and two, because none of them are things that he _needs_.

 

However, the flimsy guitar case that he’s been making do with for years is quite literally falling apart at the seams. There’s more mismatched threading, duct tape, and sheer hope holding it together than anything else and it’s only getting more worn each time Harry has to play a gig. That guitar means the world to him. It’s his baby; his whole career. He loves it more than anything, so it’s only fitting for it to be carried around in a case that is just as important.

 

Louis’ fingers tighten their grip around the shoulder straps of his backpack as he stares up at the sign hanging above the door. He’s been to four guitar shops all over the city today and only one of them has a case that’s the same brand as Harry’s guitar. Which, at the time was excellent news, but then Louis saw the price.

 

He could always borrow the money from a friend or a family member, but his and Harry’s money is already stretched thin enough without creating even more debt for themselves. He could agree to work weekends and late nights at his job to cover the cost, but sadly there aren’t enough shifts in the world to equal the cost.

 

The idea came to him one day while he was tidying up around the flat, taking extra care to wipe the leather of each of his prized collector’s books as always. His _expensive_ prized collector’s books.

 

They are the only items he has that are worth anything at all. They’re old but in perfect condition, so their value only increases with age. Their exact worth however had a mystery. That’s why Louis is here standing outside of this shop with his feet glued to the cold ground beneath him. Because these books feel like a part of him and the owner of this shop just offered him a lot of money in exchange for them over the phone. More money than Louis was honestly expecting.

 

It only takes a few seconds for Louis to convince himself to go inside. Once he does, the warmth of the room and the smile of the old woman behind the counter welcome him, putting his mind at ease. At least his books will be someplace nice where they can be appreciated.

 

The woman had told him how much a collection like his could earn him depending on their condition. He assured her that his books are flawless. Now that she’s seeing them firsthand, the woman seems to agree.

 

“And you want to part with these?” she asks incredulously. “They’re beautiful.”

 

“Thanks,” Louis smiles with a fleeting look at the one she’s currently turning over in her hands. Sure, he loves these books but he loves Harry more. He’d do anything for him including this.

 

When Louis leaves the book shop with all the money from his book collection safely tucked away in his wallet, he heads straight for the guitar shop he visited earlier. After he buys the case, all that’s left over is enough to buy a big red bow to stick to the front of it. The case is too big to keep hidden in their tiny flat so Louis takes it to Niall’s instead and makes him swear not to say anything about it.

 

When Louis gets home that evening, Harry is already there camped out beneath their broken window. He’s got a box full of tools beside him that he must’ve borrowed and a pot of potato soup cooking on the stovetop. He melts into Harry’s embrace when he stands to greet him and breathes him in, not feeling a hint of regret about the decision he made.

 

He makes up some excuse about Niall helping him condition the antique covers of his books when Harry asks why they’re missing from the shelf. Harry just shakes his head and smiles at him.

 

“You and your collection,” he teases. “You love it more than anything else.”

 

“Not quite,” Louis smiles just before their lips meet in the middle. Not even close.

 

*******

 

Harry and Zayn are the only two left once the rest of the band clears out after rehearsal. They only played for an hour or so. They called it quits because everybody’s head seems to be somewhere else today instead of on the music, but what did they really expect when it’s Christmas Eve.

 

His focus has been the worst of all lately. Making Louis happy on Christmas morning is his number one priority. But, that’s kind of hard to do when every gift he thinks of costs more than they have to spare.

 

He’s tried window shopping all week and found quite a few things that Louis would probably like. They aren’t things that he wants though. There’s only two things in this world that are guaranteed to put a big smile on Louis’ face tomorrow, and they’re both really old, really expensive, and nearly two hours away at a book collector’s house that Harry found online.

 

There are other alternatives. Louis would love a new coat from the thrift shop across town or something else just as trivial, but Harry _knows_ his boyfriend. His book collection is the most important thing to him and completing it is the best gift that Harry could give. Even if it means doing something sort of crazy on his end in order to make it happen.

 

“Hey, Z? You still have that old acoustic, right?”

 

Zayn stops packing up his bass to meet his eyes. “Yeah, it’s still collecting dust in my flat somewhere,” he laughs. “I haven’t played it in years. Why?”

 

Harry glances down at his Taylor, mind already made up.

 

“Could I maybe borrow it for a little while...or indefinitely?” he decides, knowing he’ll need to use Zayn’s guitar at least until next year after Louis finishes school.

 

“Er- Sure,” Zayn answers with a furrowed brow. He glances down at Harry’s Taylor too, confusion written all over his face. “What’s going on?”

 

“Nothing,” Harry answers easily, already wondering which places will offer him the most money. “I know you’re leaving to go see your family tonight, Z, but could you please do me a favor? I need to stop by a few places really quick and it’ll go much faster with you driving me.”

 

“Of course. Anything you need,” he agrees. “And then are you going to tell me what the hell’s going on?”

 

“Yeah, but it’s nothing. Just a little last minute Christmas shopping,” Harry grins.

 

Harry had planned to take a bus to go see the bookseller, but once Zayn witnessed him trading his prized Taylor for a handful of cash, his bandmate offered to drive him there himself. They pull up to the bookseller’s house and Harry immediately reaches for the car door.

 

“Haz, are you sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to change your mind. You can still go back to the shop and buy your guitar back. I’m sure it’s still there,” Zayn tries, looking and sounding like Harry’s just sold a child instead of an instrument.

 

Harry leans over and hugs his friend close to him. Zayn knows how important that guitar was to him. He was with Harry when he bought it all those years ago. But, as much as he loved that Taylor, Harry loves his boyfriend more. Louis is worth a million Taylors and Harry would sell his again in a heartbeat if given the chance. “Thanks, Z, but, I’m sure. I’ll be right back,” he promises as he lets himself out of the car.

 

It’s late and Louis is already in bed by the time Zayn drops Harry off at home. He hides the two leather-bound books on the shelf of their closet and then lightly sits at the edge of the bed where Louis is fast asleep.

 

He traces the line of Louis’ stubbly jaw with his thumb, grinning when Louis frowns and then opens his eyes.

 

“You’re back,” he cheers, all tired and groggy sounding.

 

“Sorry I’m so late. Rehearsal ran longer than we realized.”

 

“No, it’s fine. I understand. Practicing for the birth of Christ is important.” Harry snorts a laugh at the dumb smirk his boyfriend is wearing, knowing that there’s no other person he could ever love more.

 

Zayn looked at him like he was insane today, but Zayn doesn’t know how Louis fills his life and his heart with so much happiness and joy that sacrificing his Taylor is the easiest decision he’s ever made. He leans down to kiss Louis’ lips, delighting in the warmth of them now that their window is fixed. There will be other guitars. There are millions, but there will only ever be one Louis and one love like theirs.

 

_“And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house.”_   
_― O. Henry, The Gift of the Magi_

 

Harry’s still fast asleep when Louis wakes up the next morning. He had a long night with his band and got in pretty late, so the soft snores that are currently being blown into the side of Louis’ neck will probably continue for a while longer. That’s good.

 

Normally, his boyfriend sleeping in while he is wide awake would prompt Louis to annoy the hell out of Harry until he’s forced to wake up and talk to him, but it’s Christmas and this year, Louis has _big_ plans for the occasion.

 

He gently removes himself from Harry’s sleep-slack grip and gives him a fluffy pillow to cuddle instead. Hopefully he won’t notice. The guitar case that he bought two days ago had been over at Niall’s flat for safe keeping. His friend brought it over last night while Harry was gone. Louis keeps one eye on his sleeping boyfriend to make sure he stays that way as he wedges the case out from beneath their bed. Louis was already asleep by the time Harry got home last night. He may have ruined his own surprise by poking around down here, but everything looks the same as Louis left it, so he figures his genius gift will still light up Harry’s face.

 

The hard case is heavy when Louis lugs it to rest next to their tree right beside the bookshelf which now has a large chunk of books missing from the top shelf.

 

The absence of his collection creates a new feeling in his chest, but it isn’t sadness or regret. It’s pure love for his boyfriend and excitement for how excited he’s going to be whenever he wakes up.

 

Louis is just arranging the large bow stuck to the front of Harry’s gift when he hears footsteps and a soft gasp from the doorway.

 

He turns towards the sound with a bright smile.

 

“Merry Christmas! Surprise!”

 

Harry shifts his weight as he pastes on an expression that looks very much surprised, but something’s not right about it. Louis turns around to inspect the case for the hundredth time, wondering if this is the wrong one after all even after the man who sold it to him assured him it wasn’t.

 

“It’s not the right size is it? _Fuck_.” Louis closes his eyes, more than a little disappointed because this is not the way he envisioned his big reveal going. “Love, hand me your guitar for a minute. I just want to see if it’ll fit because the shop owner swore that it would,” Louis explains.

 

He waits for Harry to move or say something or at least stop worrying his bottom lip with his teeth like that.

 

“I, um…I can’t get you my guitar, Lou,” he says regretfully. “It’s not here.”

 

Louis noticed that it wasn’t propped against the wall or lying on the sofa like usual. “Oh. Did you leave it at rehearsal?” It was late by the time they finished playing last night and it was freezing. Louis probably would’ve left the guitar behind for the time being too in order to make the trip less difficult.

 

His question doesn’t make Harry act any less strange as he finally leaves the safety of their doorway. His fingers gently trail over the aged-leather of the case once he’s standing in front of it wearing a smile just like Louis wanted, but it’s a soft one filled with longing instead of excitement. “Harry, what’s wrong?” Louis grabs his hand, hoping to coax him into talking. “If it’s the size of the case, I can go and exchange it. The shop is closed today for Christmas, but I’ll go first thing in the morning and-”

 

Louis’ next words are absorbed by Harry’s mouth when he kisses him mid-sentence. He can feel the thank you in each slide of Harry’s lips and the fragile hold he has around Louis’ face. He blinks his eyes open when Harry slowly pulls away from him. Louis’ definitely more awake now as his heart beats wildly in his chest. It skips a beat or two when Harry takes his hands in his.

 

“Louis. I can’t get you my guitar because it isn’t here. And it isn’t here because I sold it. I’m going to use Zayn’s from now on since the Taylor’s gone,” he explains. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

 

It’s _gone_? Louis doesn’t quite know what to say. Harry with _out_ his guitar? He knows they needed the money, but Louis didn’t think it would drive Harry to do something like this. That guitar was like a part of him.

 

“No, Harry, it’s fine,” Louis assures him, trying his best to hide his disappointment in himself for ruining this. He shouldn’t have tried to surprise him. He should’ve just been straightforward and asked Harry if he’d like a new case. This is probably why the two of them never exchange gifts for the holidays. Louis’ an idiot.

 

Harry traces the sad angle of Louis’ mouth with his thumb, his eyes full of mirth. Odd considering the circumstances Louis thinks. “I’m so sorry I ruined this, but I think I may have something that’ll make you smile again,” he grins. “I’ll be right back.”

 

Louis doubts that but takes a seat on the sofa anyway, wondering what on earth could have Harry looking so excited after Louis’ fail of a gift attempt. He smiles though, watching Harry hurry out of the room.

 

“I hope it’s not a stray kitten or something,” Louis laughs. “Our landlord hates us enough as it is. We’ll never get anything out of him again if he finds out you’ve smuggled in contraband.”

 

“Don’t worry. It’s not a stray,” Harry calls from what sounds like their closet of all places. Louis rolls his eyes, unconvinced, because whatever his boyfriend has stashed away in their room is bound to have fucking fur.

 

Harry comes back into the living room, but what he’s holding doesn’t make Louis burst out laughing like he’d expected. It makes his throat feel tight and his eyes begin to water from the proud light in Harry’s gaze when he sits down next to him.

 

“These are for you. Merry Christmas,” he says, placing the two missing books from Louis’ collection into his hands. “I’m sorry that I ruined your gift by selling the guitar without telling you, but I only did it so I could give you these. And- While I’m being so truthful, I wasn’t at rehearsal last night. Zayn offered to take me to get these… so I kind of lied,” he laughs. “Sorry for that too.”

 

Harry grins and waits for Louis to have a reaction. His brow furrows in curiosity when he looks past Louis’ head at the big empty space on his bookshelf. “Are your other books still over at Niall’s?”

 

“No.” Louis feels a rogue tear slide down his cheek when he shakes his head. “I lied too. They’re not at Niall’s. I sold them two days ago. I used the money to buy your case.”

 

This is stupid. Louis’ heart has never felt so broken. The two of them just gave up everything they hold dear, and for what? Christmas was supposed to be different this year and instead it’s worse than it’s ever been. Louis could cry from how dumb he feels right now. That’s why he finds it so peculiar when he looks up to see Harry laughing like a complete weirdo.

 

“Harry. Stop it. This isn’t funny.” This is the most awful situation in the world. Their sofa is shaking from how much Harry clearly disagrees. He’s got one hand slapped over his mouth and his face is redder than Louis’ ever seen it.

 

“Haz. _Stop it_ ,” Louis tries in a firmer tone, but it loses its bite when Louis snorts from the loud bark of laughter that Harry is unable to suppress. “I don’t want to laugh,” he whines, even though he physically can’t stop. It’s all Harry fault; his annoying, perfect boyfriend.

 

They’re both cackling so hard. Louis has no idea what’s funny or even why he thinks it is all of a sudden, but his boyfriend is smiling. He’s just as happy as Louis pictured him being in this moment with or without his guitar and Louis honestly couldn’t care less about the books he sold.

 

Louis gets pulled into a deep kiss that’s composed of more breathless laughter than anything else. “We are such idiots,” Harry chuckles once he pulls back to look at him.

 

Louis agrees. Only he and Harry could royally fuck up Christmas this badly and still feel like they have something to show for it in the end. Louis isn’t quite sure of what that something is just yet, but he feels it in his chest; big and warm and so full from it that he’d do Christmas with Harry this way for the rest of their lives. Useless gifts and all.

 

_One Christmas Later_

 

A group of girls shoots Louis a string of fierce looks when he accidentally knocks into them. He apologizes loud enough for them to hear, quickly realizing that he’s seen this particular group of girls at Harry’s last show and also the one before that. They must recognize him too because the intensity in their faces fades away. They each offer him a smile and huge congratulations as they kindly step aside to let him by.

 

Louis feels his cheeks warm as sidles past them and the rest of the tight crowd. There’s so many people here. Ever since the band got signed six months ago, every show they’ve played has been sold out. Just like the show last weekend when Harry stopped the band halfway through their set to pull Louis up on stage and ask him to marry him.

 

Louis smiles and blushes just thinking about it now. About all of those pairs of eyes and fans begging him to say yes. Louis didn’t just say it, he practically screamed it into Harry’s microphone just to be sure Harry could hear him over all the noise. His fiancé played the worst show of his life for the rest of the set because he couldn’t stop grinning like a fool or staring at Louis in the front row like the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

 

Harry is looking at him like that now when he notices Louis and his fresh drink inching back up to the front. He’s all sweaty and gross from the lights and the sheer amount of people in the room, but he looks good and happy nonetheless with the new Taylor that his label gave him hanging around his neck. It’s not the same model as the one he sold, but it was still a perfect fit for the case that Louis got him last year around this time.

 

Last Christmas had felt like a complete disaster, but honestly, Louis thinks it just brought them closer together. He’ll be finished with school in just a few short months so they’ll be able to move to a better place away from campus and Harry’s band is only getting bigger each day. Harry’s first big paycheck could’ve been used for lots of things that they still need, but that didn’t stop him from using it to hunt down and buy back every one of Louis’ books.

 

Things aren’t as hard for them this year now that things are starting to look up. Their future is as brightly lit as ever. They could’ve tried exchanging gifts again without sacrificing a lot, but they decided against it. Presents are lovely to give and receive especially when they come from the heart, however he and Harry are just fine without them. They’ve got each other, and in Louis’ opinion that’s the greatest gift of all.

 

_“But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest.”_   
_― O. Henry, The Gift of the Magi_

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written a Christmas/Holiday fic. Thanks so much, LolaTommo, for giving me the chance :) Also, as always, thank you to FallingLikeThis(Zayniam)! You are THE BEST.
> 
>  
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> all-these-larrythings.tumblr


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